Combining Thicknet and Thinnet Cable

Larger networks commonly combine thick and thin Ethernet cabling. Thicknet cable is good for backbones, while thinnet cable is easy to use for branch segments. This also means that the thicknet cable is the main cable covering the longer distances. Thicknet cable has a larger copper core and can, therefore, carry signals for a longer distance than thinnet. The transceiver attaches to the thicknet cable, and the transceiver cable's AUI connector plugs into a repeater. The branching segments of thinnet then plug into the repeater and connect the computers to the network.

Note: Fibre-optic cable has generally replaced thicknet for the use in backbone cabling.